Courtroom artist Jane Rosenberg captured Harvey Weinstein as he listened to a statement from Jessica Mann during his sentencing, shortly before he received 23 years in prison. (Photo: REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg

“He came in in a wheelchair looking pretty bad,” Rosenberg told Yahoo Lifestyle in a phone interview shortly after the sentencing. “He was unshaven, his hair had grown out and was disheveled-looking. He had no tie [and] his shirt was unbuttoned, although he buttoned the top button later on.”

Weinstein has battled health issues in the days since his trial ended, undergoing a heart procedure and spending several days in Bellevue Hospital before being transferred to Rikers Island, where his rep says he fell and hit his head. Despite his frail appearance, however, Rosenberg found him to be more composed as he read out his statement, in which he expressed “deep remorse” for his accusers but criticized the #MeToo movement.

“When he spoke, he did have a loud, clear voice and he didn’t come off as a beaten man as he spoke,” she shared.

Weinstein "didn't come off as a beaten man" as he spoke to the judge, according to Rosenberg. (Photo: REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg)

She also described the emotional atmosphere as victims read their own statements and, later, reacted to Weinstein’s sentencing, which his attorney Donna Rotunno has called “obscene” and “obnoxious.”

“There were a lot of tears from the victims as they gave their impact statements, and then in the end they all broke down and were hugging and crying at that moment,” Rosenberg said.

But she didn’t notice any dramatic reaction from Weinstein himself.

“He got wheeled out of the courtroom looking the same — he looked bad. He’s in a wheelchair, pulled away and pushed out quickly,” she said, noting that her attention was drawn to those crying in the courtroom. “I didn’t see him do anything.”

Though Rosenberg is no stranger to high-profile court cases — sketching scenes from trials involving Bill Cosby, Woody Allen and others — she admitted that the sensitive subject matter made the work grueling.

“I’m so relieved, personally, that it’s over,” she shared. “It’s been hanging over me as well, coming here ... It’s hard to watch the whole thing.”

An Ottawa family with three young children is looking for a new home after being served an eviction notice following complaints the kids were being too loud while at home during isolation."First it was disbelief, then anger, [then] frustration," said Janybek Abakirov, who's been working at his banking job from the family's third-floor apartment while his wife takes care of their newborn and two boys, ages two and four."The management office is telling us to vacate the property within three weeks due to noise complaints because of our kids."Abakirov said he had previously experienced tensions with a downstairs neighbour in the apartment building on Richmond Road. Since the pandemic began, those tensions have boiled over.Late last month, he got a detailed notice of eviction from his landlord. The notice details noise complaints over a four-week period, including jumping, yelling and running. WATCH: Janybek Abakirov says he's frustrated after receiving an eviction notice during the COVID-19 pandemicWith schools and daycares closed, Abakirov said he and his wife have been doing their best to keep their children occupied."[We] try to manage them as much as possible, making sure they are occupied with different games, books, sometimes cartoons, but, hey, kids are kids," he said. "They like to run around."Citing privacy concerns, Britannia By The Bay Apartments declined CBC's interview requests, but in an emailed statement senior vice-president Mark Hales said the company recognizes its tenants are going through a challenging time. "However, when noise levels are repeatedly problematic, we have an obligation to follow the provincial framework that is in place to handle this type of situation," Hales wrote.Tensions on the riseLegal experts say during this pandemic, these types of conflicts and complaints between tenants have been escalating."Cooking, smoking from balconies, noise disruptions … all of these are on the increase because everybody is forced to stay at home. Nobody gets a break from their neighbour anymore. They're at home 24/7," said lawyer Rodrigue Escayola. He said Ontario's Landlord and Tenant Board will need to decide whether those complaints constitute normal behaviour and activities during abnormal times."Is this disruption specific to the current health crisis which forces people to stay at home? If that's the case, I think the adjudicating body would be more flexible," Escayola said.He added that hearings by the Landlord and Tenant Board are on hold in Ontario until emergency measures are lifted.After months of stress and weeks of complaints, Abakirov said he's not planning to appeal."I could go and appeal and I could win, but in the end, is it a healthy environment for my kids to live in?" he asked. Instead, he said his family is currently looking for a new home, but he's hoping his story will make other tenants think twice about the challenges some families are going through. "I understand these are difficult times, but at the same time these are kids, and kids also have rights," Abakirov said. "All I'm hoping is that there's a little bit of understanding around us."

We're breaking down what you need to know about the pandemic. Send us your questions via email at COVID@cbc.ca and we'll answer as many as we can. We'll publish a selection of answers every weekday on our website, and we're also putting some of your questions to the experts on the air during The National and on CBC News Network. So far we've received more than 44,000 emails from all corners of the country.Is it safe to stay in Canadian hotels or motels?The weather is getting warmer across the country, and pandemic-fatigued Canadians are itching to get out of the house.But many of you, like Angela Y., have emailed us to ask if it's OK to book a hotel room. The answer depends on the precautions you take before, during and after your stay.In Canada, many hotels are tightening their cleaning protocols in the hopes of welcoming travellers — especially after the industry was hammered by the pandemic.The Hotel Association of Canada and the American Hotel and Lodging Association released joint health and safety protocols to help the industry adapt to new pandemic standards."These enhanced protocols might include [more frequent disinfecting] of common touch surfaces like door handles, light switches, remote controls, faucets," said Susie Grynol, president and CEO of the Hotel Association of Canada. "And in a room where we have surfaces that are difficult to clean, like throw pillows, bedspreads, the pen and pad of paper, the magazines — some of these items might be removed altogether."If you are booking a stay, what are some things you can do to protect yourself?Firstly, don't be afraid to ask the hotel what they're doing to keep everything clean.Before you book a room, you should ask the hotel what their cleaning rituals are and how they're managing physical distancing, said Melissa Brouwers, a health services researcher and director of the University of Ottawa's School of Epidemiology and Public Health.Another question to ask, according to Colin Furness, an infection control epidemiologist and assistant professor at the University of Toronto, is if they're leaving rooms empty for a period of time after each guest has stayed there."If you can determine that the premises have been empty for three days, it's safe," Furness said. "If you cannot make this determination, then use disinfecting wipes on all common touch surfaces: door knobs, light switches, taps, handles, remote controls, and so forth."Bring your own disinfectant wipes — just to be safe. "You want to think about high-touch surfaces," said Earl Brown, an emeritus professor of virology at University of Ottawa. "Everybody comes in and flicks the switch. They push the plunger on the toilet. They use the night table. They should be swabbed down, but if they're not ... you can swab them down yourself."Beyond cleanliness, Furness said it's important to keep in mind that in a hotel, you may end up sharing tight spaces with other guests. "If there are shared hallways, then face masks and physical distancing are important," he said. "Elevators are probably the biggest area of risk."Furness recommends waiting for an empty elevator or choosing a hotel that manages elevator traffic responsibly. He also suggests using the stairs when possible and requesting a room on a lower floor so you can minimize elevator and stairwell travel."If you're somewhere with a shared entry door for multiple units ... you should always use hand sanitizer right after you enter," he said.As for the hotel's air quality, Brown said you shouldn't need to worry."In a circulating system in a hotel it's gone through ductwork. It's been diluted, so it's very unlikely you're going to have a problem with recirculating air."Do you have a question about life during the pandemic? Email us at COVID@cbc.caCan I travel to another province? Will I have to isolate?Canada is slowly reopening, and that has readers like Sandra W. wondering if you're allowed to make trips to other provinces.The answer is it depends on where you live and where you're going.While some government-imposed measures are being eased, many checkpoints and travel restrictions across the country remain in place.Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan aren't banning travellers from other provinces or mandating that they self-isolate for 14 days. However, they all advise against non-essential travel at this time. Manitoba and Nova Scotia haven't shut their borders either. But anyone visiting — or returning from a trip to another province — must self-isolate for 14 days. Quebec, Saskatchewan and Manitoba have restricted non-essential travel to certain remote northern regions in their province to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and the territories are currently banning visitors from other provinces. But Prince Edward Island is making an exception for some out-of-towners: Canadians with seasonal properties on P.E.I. can request entry by submitting an application.New Brunswick will allow travellers, such as P.E.I. cottage owners, to drive through its province to reach their destination — after they're screened at checkpoints.Residents in Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick and P.E.I. can visit other parts of Canada, but must self-isolate for 14 days upon their return.Nunavut, Northwest Territories and Yukon are banning non-essential travel to their regions, and returning travellers must self-isolate for 14 days. Nunavut residents must complete their self-isolation at a designated site outside the territory before returning. Yukon plans to allow people to travel between the territory and neighbouring B.C. with no restrictions starting in July. And what about travelling inside your own province?While the rules are generally non-binding, the advice from most officials across the country is the same — just because regions have reopened does not mean you should be travelling, especially if you don't have a good reason to. The message is to use your judgment, consider the hotspots, and consult local authorities before heading out. When will international travel be OK? After a long spring in isolation, many Canadians, including Wendi L., are dreaming about summer vacation plans. But if you're thinking about travelling outside Canada, COVID-19 restrictions could complicate your trip. Technically, Canadians can still travel abroad, despite the Canadian government's advisory warning against all non-essential international travel. (And people are still arriving here too.) But Canadians looking to leave may struggle to find flights and their travel insurance likely won't cover their medical bills if they fall ill with COVID-19.Some travel destinations plan to start welcoming back tourists in June. But travellers may face stiff entry requirements, like getting a test to prove you're virus-free before flying. And don't forget, when you get home, international travellers will also have to self-isolate for 14 days.If you're thinking about going state-side, think again. The Canada-U.S. border remains closed to tourists crossing by land until June 21. And that date could be extended if the number of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. remains a concern. You can read more about travelling outside Canada here. Thursday we answered questions about cell phones and singing.Keep your questions coming by emailing us at COVID@cbc.ca.

It's been over a month on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19 for Julia, a speech language pathologist in west end Montreal. The army is withdrawing soldiers deployed to the long-term care home where she's working, but for her, there's no end in sight.In late April, Julia was one of about 1,300 "involuntary deployments" — people in health-care-related fields conscripted to work in long-term care homes to make up for a critical shortage of staff as the pandemic ripped through them. Nearly 5,000 Quebecers have now died of COVID-19, 68 per cent of them residents of long-term care institutions, known as CHSLDs.Now as spring turns to summer and Julia sweats through her protective gear in the facility where she is forced to work, she wonders when she'll be able to go back to the job she loves and is trained to do."I think about quitting every day, and I don't think I'm the only one," she said.Speech therapists, physiotherapists, social workers and psychologists are among those reassigned to work as aides to patient attendants by regional health authorities in Montreal and Laval.Some, exhausted and burnt out, are now questioning their future in the Quebec health-care system.CBC News spoke with two employees, Julia and Rita, who are in this situation. We are withholding their identities because they fear professional repercussions for speaking out.Plummeting moraleThe deployments are overseen by the individual regional health boards. Some of them, including the CISSS de Laval, CIUSSS du Nord-de-l'Île-de-Montréal and CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, plan to reintegrate staff back into their regular jobs in the coming weeks.But others, including the health agencies responsible for the West Island, West-Central Montreal and the eastern part of the Island of Montreal, say those workers are still needed in long-term care homes.Conditions have improved in the CHSLD where Julia has been assigned to work. The COVID situation has stabilized, and she's developed relationships with her patients.But recently, some of her colleagues at the CIUSSS Centre-Ouest Montréal, redeployed like she is, received a schedule for rotations at long-term care homes that goes into 2021.CBC News has seen the schedule, which would see physiotherapists, occupational therapists, psychologists and kinesiologists continuing to work in COVID-ridden institutions, including Maimonides Geriatric Centre and the Jewish Eldercare Centre, until early January.Seeing those schedules, morale plummeted, Julia said."Honestly, I think that the whole rehab sector is going to be completely destroyed," she said."I do think a lot of people are going to leave," said Julia. That threat aside, she worries about the long-term effects on physiotherapy or speech pathology patients, when so many of those therapists will be working in long-term care homes for months to come.'Difficult to predict' need for staffJulia's employer, the CIUSSS Centre-Ouest Montréal, could not confirm the existence of schedules stretching into January but said in a statement that it's "very difficult to predict how the situation will evolve.""We anticipate a potential second wave of the pandemic in the fall," said spokesperson Jennifer Timmons. "However, we must also plan for the gradual return of services in our other sites appropriately."Rita, a social worker in Montreal's east end, is now on stress leave from her mandatory deployment to a CHSLD and now plans to leave the field of health care altogether.She was reassigned in late April to a home which initially had a small infection rate, but the virus spread relentlessly, and by mid-May, she found herself working in a COVID hot zone.Residents were confined to their rooms, frantic, confused and unable to see their families."They were suffering quite a bit," Rita said. She described witnessing rushed staff trying to feed elderly patients too quickly. Rita says she's experiencing symptoms of post-traumatic stress. By the end of May, she found herself hoping to contract COVID-19. She fantasized about catching it from a resident so she could leave and not come back. She left her job soon after."I'm so angry with the situation. I'm so angry at [Quebec Premier François] Legault for cutting our wings, we so-called 'guardian angels,'" she said.Her employer, the CIUSSS de l'Est-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, said it is doing its best to support its staff through the crisis."We are aware that some workers may have been especially affected by certain situations experienced in CHSLDs and other services," wrote spokesperson Christian Merciari in a statement.Spokespeople for both regional health agencies said there are internal mental health programs for staff dealing with trauma.But the Canadian Union of Public Employees, the union that represents Rita, says it's hearing similar stories of burnout from many members. CUPE says in Rita's region alone, there are a dozen complaints from workers who are being forced against their will to work on the front lines of the crisis.CUPE plans to file complaints with Quebec's workplace health and safety board, the CNESST. It says people are inadequately trained for the work they're now doing and were unprepared to be put in situations where they'd be dealing with pandemic casualties.Julia predicts a "mass exodus" from the health care network unless the situation changes quickly.If that happens, she says, it would be an ironic result of a policy put in place to try to mitigate the damage of a health-care worker shortage elsewhere in the system.

FORT MCMURRAY, Alta. — A First Nation chief wants an independent investigation into an alleged RCMP assault during an arrest that he says began over expired vehicle registration tags and ended with him facing charges of resisting arrest and assaulting police."Because we are minority... nobody speaks up for us," Athabasca Chipewyan Chief Allan Adam said during a press conference Saturday."Every time our people do wrong... (the RCMP) always seem to use excessive force and that has to stop ... Enough is enough."Adam said he was leaving a casino after 2 a.m. on March 10 with his wife and niece. The group went to his truck, which had recently expired license plate tags, at the Peter Pond Mall in downtown Fort McMurray, Alta., when officers confronted the group.He said a police vehicle pulled up behind them while he was moving a child seat. Adam said he asked the officer why police were harassing him and told him who he was.He said he then told the officer that he would raise the matter with his superior.He said the officer told him to get away and that he didn't need to talk with him, and Adam said he made his way back into his truck where his wife was at the wheel.Adam said he told his wife that they weren't allowed to go anywhere. He said she replied, "For what?" and put the truck into drive.Then the officer, Adam said, knocked on the driver's window and was yelling."And my wife rolled down the window. The RCMP raised his hands, put it inside the vehicle, reached over and put the truck into park and shut the vehicle off and told my wife that you cannot move this vehicle, it has no registration. And then they started talking and started arguing," Adam said.The RCMP manhandled his wife, Adam said. The police called for backup and more officers arrived on the scene, he said.One of the officers who arrived "he just gave me a, what you would call in the wrestling world, a clothesline," he said.During the altercation, Adam said he suffered a deep laceration inside his mouth and he could feel blood pouring out. He fought to maintain consciousness, he said, and felt someone hitting him on the back.Adam was taken into police custody and held until about 9:30 a.m., said his lawyer Brian Beresh.Adam was charged with resisting arrest and assaulting police in the execution of duty, said Alberta RCMP in a statement Saturday. He will appear in Wood Buffalo Provincial court on July 2.Wood Buffalo RCMP initiated a vehicle stop on an unoccupied and idling vehicle with an expired plate, according to the statement, and a confrontation with Adam resulted."During the incident, Adam was being placed under arrest and resisted. The members were required to use force to affect the arrest," the statement said.An in-car video system captured the incident and it was reviewed by supervisors."It was determined that the members' actions were reasonable and did not meet the threshold for an external investigation."A photo Adam took the day after the arrest shows him with a large bruise around his right eye and dried blood on his cheek. Adam and Beresh released two videos taken by bystanders of the incident.A 41-second video shows RCMP asking Adam's wife, who was in the driver's seat, to exit the truck because she is under arrest. She can be seen stepping out of the vehicle and asking why.On a roughly three-minute video Adam can be heard identifying himself and telling police he is bleeding."What did you do to me? I'm bleeding man," he says in the video, and asks why they did this to him.Adam can be heard yelling expletives during the altercation.Both videos are dark due to the time, Beresh said at the press conference, noting the RCMP have better-quality recordings, which he has seen but is not permitted to release.He called for the RCMP to release their recordings "so that the truth is known."RCMP spokesman Const. Patrick Lambert said it is not routine procedure for police to disclose materials that could be used in prosecution to the general public."His court appearance is set for July 2 and information would come to light in that atmosphere in the courthouse," Lambert said.Beresh also called for a full investigation by an independent police force and for all police to wear body cam equipment when working outside of the station.He said the videos show Adam did not assault an officer or resist arrest, but made the mistake of asking why he was being arrested."He was challenging the authority, he was challenging the uniform and that can't be permitted in the militaristic-type organization like the RCMP."The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team, which investigates deaths or injuries involving police, said that it will investigate the incident.This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 6, 2020.The Canadian Press

The B.C. government has quietly redeployed hundreds of its own employees to serve as de-facto quarantine officers at all of British Columbia's international border crossings.The province put out a call for volunteers from within after the Trudeau government announced in late March it would be closing the Canada-U.S. border to non-essential travel.In early April, B.C. came up with its own plan to screen travellers from abroad and enforce, at the point of entry, the federal 14-day self-isolation order under the Quarantine Act."The premier was clear for many, weeks that he wanted to see more action at the border," said North Delta MLA Ravi Kahlon. "John Horgan simply said, 'Listen, we're just going to do it.'"> "This kind of program is not normal for us at a provincial government level." \- NDP MLA Ravi KahlonWithin five days, a program was mobilized to send teams of provincial staffers from all corners of government to YVR and all seven land crossings to do the job themselves.A call went out to all B.C. civil servants asking who would be willing to go. Nearly 1,000 raised their hands. The province has been rotating through teams of volunteers ever since."I was surprised to see that many people respond," said Kahlon, who's tasked with overseeing the program for the NDP. "This kind of program is not normal for us at a provincial government level."Staff from the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island and as far away as Prince George, involving a cross-section of ministries, have participated in the past six weeks.The teams are stationed beyond the CBSA checkpoints as the last stop for travellers entering B.C. They're required to fill out a detailed declaration form and verbally present their self-isolation plans to the quarantine officers. If deemed sufficient, travellers are allowed to proceed straight home. If not, they're escorted to a nearby hotel where they're placed under government-mandated quarantine for two weeks.'Welcome home'Katrina Estoque has worked for the B.C. government for 13 years, currently as the business management co-ordinator under the Ministry of Transportation.But these days, she's overseeing YVR's self-isolation checkpoint teams. They shift their schedules around incoming international arrivals, some of them repatriation flights, and screen anywhere between 300 and 900 passengers per day."A lot of them are coming from places that were in lockdown and they haven't been in Canada for three or four months, so it means so much to them just to hear someone say 'welcome home.'"> "I have been here since day one; it's been an amazing experience overall," \- Katrina Estoque, B.C. quarantine officerEstoque, 32, commutes to the airport from Coquitlam every day. She was one of the first employees tapped to help mobilize the program and now trains other volunteer staff who rotate through YVR."I have been here since day one; it's been an amazing experience overall," she said.The teams are trained to screen passengers in detail, ensuring every person setting foot in British Columbia has the means — and the intention — to self-isolate as required for the full 14 days."We ask them where they're going to stay, if they live with someone who is elderly or immune-compromised, how they're going to get home, how food and medication will be delivered to their home," she said. "Basically, just making sure they have a very sound plan before we send them on their way."Since the travel restrictions were put in place, 31,000 people have been screened at B.C.'s land crossings; 25,000 have come through the airport.Of that number, 137 did not present sufficient self-isolation plans and were immediately put into a taxi and taken to a nearby hotel to serve their quarantine.Around 40,000 follow-up calls have been placed to returning travellers after they've arrived home to make sure they're complying, says the provincial government. Several hundred who didn't respond have had a knock on their door from local police.Overall, 100 people have developed symptoms while self-isolating. The province plans to continue the program as long as the border remains closed to non-essential travel.

Dutch mink farms have begun a government-ordered cull amid concern that animals infected with coronavirus could transmit the illness to humans. Infected mink have been found on 10 Dutch farms where the ferret-like animals are bred for their fur, according to the country's Food & Wares Authority. "All mink breeding farms where there is an infection will be cleared, and farms where there are no infections won't be," said spokeswoman Frederique Hermie.

THE LATEST: * There are 193 active cases of COVID-19 across B.C. * As of Friday afternoon, there have been 2,632 confirmed cases of the illness. * 167 people have died. * 2,272 people have recovered from their illness. * 21 people are in hospital, including five in intensive care.The number of active cases of COVID-19 in B.C. has now dipped below 200 as the province continues to report low numbers of new cases every day.As of Friday, there are 193 active cases of the illness in the province out of a total of 2,632 cases to date. So far, 167 people have died from infection with the novel coronavirus.Twenty-one people are currently in hospital with COVID-19, including five receiving treatment in intensive care.Public health teams are managing five active outbreaks in long-term care homes and eight community outbreaks.Despite the recent decline in active cases and the slowing rate of deaths, British Columbians and being reminded to stay vigilant."We have to be cautious that we don't go too far and risk a resurgence in cases," Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix said.Henry is taking a day off on Saturday from her regular briefings. The province says Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix will now only do broadcast briefings on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays of each week.READ MORE:Top COVID-19 stories todayImportant reminders:Health officials widely agree the most important thing you can do to prevent coronavirus and other illnesses is to wash your hands regularly and avoid touching your face. The World Health Organization said more than 80 per cent of COVID-19 infections are estimated to be mild.What's happening elsewhere in CanadaAs of Saturday, Canada has had 95,016 confirmed coronavirus cases. A CBC News tally of deaths based on provincial data, regional information and CBC's reporting stood at 7,796.For a look at what's happening across the country and the world, check the CBC interactive case tracker.What are the symptoms of COVID-19?Common symptoms include: * Fever. * Cough. * Tiredness.But more serious symptoms can develop, including difficulty breathing and pneumonia.What should I do if I feel sick?Stay home. Isolate yourself and call your local public health authority or 811. Do not visit an emergency room or urgent care centre to get tested.Find information about COVID-19 from the B.C. Centre for Disease Control.Non-medical information about COVID-19 is available in B.C. from 7:30 a.m.-8 p.m. PT, seven days a week at 1-888-COVID19 (1-888-268-4319).What can I do to protect myself? * Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly. Keep them clean. * Keep at least two metres away from people who are sick. * When outside the home, keep two metres away from other people. * Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.More detailed information on the outbreak is available on the federal government's website.If you have a COVID-19-related story we should pursue that affects British Columbians, please email us at impact@cbc.ca

With her second child on the way, the last thing Giselle Bertolacini thought she'd have to worry about was paying for her scheduled C-section. But after her visa expired in March, that's exactly what she was facing. She began to panic about how she was going to pay the mounting prenatal fees and the cost of her June 2 delivery. "It was a tough situation because every time I went to my doctor, the secretary was there to say that they were not being paid, and I would have to pay for my consultation." Bertolacini was frustrated because she thought she had done everything right. She moved to Moncton from Brazil in 2018 with her husband and young son. As temporary residents, they were covered under New Brunswick's medicare program.In December, she applied to renew her visa — three months before it was set to expire. She never dreamed it would take so long to process her application. When her visa expired in March, so did her medicare. But because she applied before her visa expired, she believed she was covered by "implied status," which stipulates that as long as a temporary resident applies before their visa expires, their status is automatically extended until a formal decision is issued. Bertolacini believed that extension would also apply to medicare benefits. "But that's not what happens in real life because when your visa expires, you SIN number and your medicare expire at the same time," she said. Bertolacini wasn't exactly sure how much it would cost her family to deliver their second child, but she knew it would be more than she could afford — $3,000 per day for her hospital stay, another $2,000 per day for her baby, she was told. Add to that, the cost of the physician, the anesthesiologist, and other related fees. "It was tough because we felt like we were left all alone here. Even though we worked full time and we paid our taxes just like any other Canadian or any other immigrant, we didn't have access to the benefits we were supposed to have," she said.But good news arrived last week. The Bertolacinis got a call from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to tell them their application had been approved. That meant — with only days to spare before the scheduled C-section — their medicare benefits were reinstated. And more good news arrived his week. On Tuesday, Noah Bertolacini arrived by caesarean section, weighing in at 3.83 kg (eight pounds seven ounces) — and all costs were paid by medicare, said Giselle Bertolacini. She said she and Noah are doing well. She just wishes she didn't have to fight so hard in the latter stages of her pregnancy, and she hopes her experience will help other families — and perhaps even change the system. "I hope that other families will not have to struggle the way we struggled in such a special moment. When you prepare to receive a newborn, it's a moment of happiness."She said the last thing expectant mothers need is the added stress of wondering how to pay the bills. "I hope other families will not have to struggle with this kind of situation in the future and I also hope that my kids will learn from it as well — that you have to fight for what is right and being successful in life requires lots of effort."Not aloneThe executive director of the Multicultural Association of Greater Moncton says she knows of other women who find themselves in a similar position. Myriam Mekni is worried that if the processing system continues to plod along at the current rate, other people will find themselves having to pay for medical care out of pocket. Mekni said she also experienced "implied status" as she waited for her application to be processed. She said the federal government, which is responsible for immigration, has left it up to provinces to decide what to do about medicare coverage during the implied status period. Some provinces, including Alberta, have decided to extend coverage, but Mekni said New Brunswick has not. She said her organization has been trying to convince the province to do so. "There was a lot of conversations," she told CBC's Information Morning in Moncton on Monday."We haven't had a lot of response from the health department or medicare when we tried to resolve this situation and when we tried to advocate for other clients." She said her group has only received "generic responses" from government officials. "So I don't know if the health department, or medicare specifically, are making an effort to change this." Attempts by CBC to clarify the situation with New Brunswick's Department of Health weren't successful. On Friday, department spokesperson Bruce Macfarlane said, "For privacy purposes, medicare cannot comment on individual cases. Should an individual have new information on their status such as a VISA, the individual should contact medicare immediately with the most-up-to-date information."He did not answer the question of whether medicare coverage is extended during the "implied status" period.

The family of a missing navy veteran from Nova Scotia has confirmed he was found dead earlier this week.In a release Friday, Nova Scotia RCMP said the 49-year-old person reported missing from Tantallon, N.S., on May 7 had been found deceased. They did not specify a name.The remains were found on June 1 in Tantallon and later identified. Halifax District RCMP have said Michael Brown of Tantallon was last seen May 2.Lisa Megeney, Brown's sister-in-law, told CBC's Mainstreet in mid-May that their family was spending long days searching for Brown.In a Facebook update, Megeney wrote her "heart is broken" to confirm Brown's body had been found."Now you can Rest easy 'Big Bro,'" she wrote.The investigation into the death is continuing, but police said foul play is not suspected.Megeney told CBC that Brown suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and believes it could have been triggered by the mass shooting that began in Portapique, N.S., in April.She visited Brown's house after being unable to reach him for several days and found his dog was there, as well as his car and phone.Megeney said her brother-in-law, who she described as soft-spoken and kind, served in the navy for two decades.For those seeking mental health support during this time, here are resources available to Nova Scotians. MORE TOP STORIES

Ryan Epp started a Facebook group in early April to find some new camping buddies and meet some new friends. Two months later, his group named Crown Land Camping Alberta has more than 31,000 members. Group members share tips on where and how to camp on public land in Alberta — a longtime practice that's commonly known as random camping.

Meet six-year-old Reya Bernard, a young black girl who wants to one day lead the country.She was handed a megaphone at Sunday's March for Justice rally in Windsor where she was surrounded by hundreds of people and led them in a chant — thousands watched online.She and her mother, Kianna Porter, have joined protests together in the past, Porter calling it part of Bernard's education."Without her being in school ... and we're home so much, I'm like 'I'm going to take this time to invest in teaching her about what's going on in the world and .. letting her know that she can help make a change." "Some things that I learned [are] to stand up for myself," Bernard said.The first protest Bernard attended was on climate change."She actually was the one who came to me and was like, 'we have to do better for the world,'" Porter recalled. "She wouldn't eat anything that wasn't even in a reusable container.""She really opened my eyes."Her daughter's dedication to bettering the world prompted Porter to get her daughter more involved in the community, including taking part in Sunday's rally."I have to get her involved because she is so vocal about a lot of things and I was like, 'this is the perfect time with everything that's going on," Porter said.Feeling happy, excited and proudWhen asked how she felt about leading the chant, Bernard was overcome with a mix of emotions."It was just making me feel happy and excited and proud of myself," she said, adding that she was also proud of the rally-goers.Bernard said it was after hearing the story about her great-grandfather, who was a slave and traveled to Windsor from the south to seek freedom many years ago, that inspired her to help her community and take charge."I just think I should be Prime Minister," Bernard said, "because I want to change the world."

A baby boom has nearly tripled the population of bison in Banff, and it's big news for the national park — it has resulted in the first made-in-Banff bison mother in more than 140 years.Sixteen plains bison were transported to Banff from Elk Island National Park in 2017, and according to wildlife biologist Karsten Heuer — the park's bison reintroduction project manager — the population has now grown to about 45.He spent the last few days in the backcountry observing the bison calves, and said they have already begun to change the dynamic among the adults in the herd."It was a pretty incredible scene," Heuer said."Just all these beautiful red calves, frolicking in this meadow — and in a cheeky way, going up to their mothers and the other adult bison, and trying to provoke them, and actually injecting a huge amount of playfulness among the herd."The predator-prey danceAs bison have become wilder in Banff, they have also been harder to track and photograph.But Heuer said the calves were discovered with the use of remote cameras in the park.At about 50 pounds, he said the calves look small when juxtaposed to their 1,000-pound mothers, but are otherwise quite sizeable.They are also striking — with rust-coloured fur, Heuer said they stand out vibrantly against their "chocolatey" adult counterparts.Some experts believe, Heuer said, that their fur matches the reddish hue of the legs of adult bison so that when escaping predators, they are camouflaged as they run near their parent's legs."It's thought that the rusty-red tinge of the bison calves confuses predators if they're approaching, and the bison are fleeing," Heuer said."[The] image is confused by the red of the calves, mixing with the red of the mother's legs."And as for predators in Banff, park employees lost track of one bison calf last September that they believe died of natural causes — or fell victim to wolves. But right now, the two populations seem more curious about each other than aggressive."Interestingly enough, as the wolves have approached, the bison really haven't budged. There's been no indication that they've been disturbed," Heuer said. "I think that wolves have been quite curious ... and in fact, some of the remote camera imagery shows the bison following the wolves after the wolves have followed the bison. So it's, I think, a mutual curiosity as they figure out, you know, their respective roles in this age of predator-prey dance, which we do hope eventually starts to happen."Breeding patterns normalizingAccording to Heuer, the bison in Banff have been out of sync with calving season — which typically sees bison calves arrive in May or June — and instead calving throughout the summer and even into the fall.Now having had time to adjust, he said the cycle is beginning to normalize."We released them during the breeding season, which was probably a little bit chaotic and confusing for them, and maybe they didn't hook up at the right times," Heuer said. "But now, they seem to be getting back on schedule, and more into the natural pattern."For Heuer, who has worked with Parks Canada for 25 years, reintroducing bison — and seeing their numbers grow — has been what he calls "an opportunity of a lifetime.""Oh, it's been an honour ... I think it's every wildlife biologist's dream to be working something like trying to reintroduce Canada's largest land mammal into its first national park," he said."To witness the return of this major herbivore, and also to actually see them unearthing their ancestor's bones … we realize that they're revisiting and reactivating these places that their ancestors used, hundreds and even thousands of years ago. It really is quite moving."

Empty racks. Parts on back order. Weeks-long waits for a tune-up. COVID-19 and the arrival of summery weather have combined to create a perfect storm in cycling circles, drastically increasing demand and decreasing supply of bikes in Ottawa.From the very beginning of the pandemic, public health authorities have been giving biking the thumbs up. Passing another cyclist, jogger or pedestrian on a pathway is deemed a low risk for transmission of COVID-19.Families took to their two-wheelers en masse, eager to get out of the house and away from Google classrooms. The city was suddenly ringing with the ding-ding of bike bells as cyclists of all ages and abilities turned to pedal power.But now, just like toilet paper, yeast, flour and seeds before them, the bikes are gone. When pandemic measures shuttered bike manufacturers in Asia, the supply chain skidded to a halt, or at least slowed significantly. Demand for bicycles this spring is both unprecedented and way beyond projections, according to a Canadian Tire company spokesperson."Bicycles ... and boredom busters such as trampolines and basketball nets are a few examples where we are chasing supply to keep up with demand," Joscelyn Dosanjh wrote in an email.It's the same story at smaller bike shops."The supply chain is breaking down and we can't stock up on inventory," said Joe Mamma Cycles owner Jose Bray. "Our mid-season shipments don't exist this year," Bray said. "The major manufacturers are all sold out. I couldn't order bikes right now if I wanted to."Second-hand bikes are a hot commodity, too. Dave Gibson is working to keep up with demand at Dave's Bike Dump on Catherine Street, where it's not uncommon these days to see customers lined up out the door and down the sidewalk.Backlogged shipments from Asia are causing a dearth of new parts, but Gibson has been able to ride out the shortage because he has the supplies in stock already. "We have about $2 million worth of inventory," he said. Mobile bike repair service Vélofix is reporting a banner spring. Ottawa franchisee Adam Kourakis is running three vans from 6 a.m. until 10 p.m., seven days a week. "Business is A-OK," Kourakis confirmed.But if you're in a rush for that tune-up, forget about it."Normally it would be a couple of days. Now it's almost a month to get a tune-up," Kourakis said.The same goes for bike parts. "A couple times someone said, 'Hey can you get me this or that?' And the unfortunate answer is no. It's just a flat out no. Out of stock. No ETA. No update. [The suppliers] say, 'Don't contact us, we'll contact you.'"As a result, Kourakis said, people seem to be making do with what they already have."We're getting a heck of a lot of older, regular bikes from the back of the garage," he said.For businesses like Vélofix, COVID-19 has also put a dent in the workforce. One of Kourakis's mechanics had health issues that made him vulnerable to possible exposure, and another had a family member who is medically fragile. A couple of part-timers who work for the City of Ottawa were redeployed due to COVID-19."If you know any mechanics, we are hiring," Kourakis said.Joe Mamma Cycles owner Jose Bray has noticed another phenomenon: sales of accessories such as locks and bike bags are down."People are going for a bike ride around their neighbourhoods … and then they're coming right back home," Bray said. "Even helmet sales aren't what they typically are."To make up for the loss in sales, Joe Mamma is ramping up its service capacity."We are doubling our workstations this week. It's one of the things that we can do safely and there's increased demand for it," Bray said. Bike advocates hope the two-wheeled trend isn't just a fad that will fade with the pandemic. "I think there's a good chance that a lot of people will have caught the [biking habit]," said Erinn Cunningham of Bike Ottawa. "When OC Transpo was on strike in the winter of 2009, winter cycling saw an uptick afterwards. That's how a lot of people adapted to no transit."

You can always count on dogs to be there for you! Watch as this Lab jumps into the river and brings his best buds back to shore. According to their owner, they've all grown up around the river and weren't in any immediate danger.

OTTAWA — The federal Liberal government has inked a sole-source deal with Quebec aerospace firm Bombardier to purchase two new Challenger jets to replace half the Canadian Armed Forces' existing executive aircraft fleet.The $105-million contract follows recent warnings from defence officials that two of the military's four existing aircraft would no longer be allowed to fly in many countries within a few years because of outdated technology.It also comes after Bombardier announced Friday that it was slashing 2,500 jobs from its aviation division as demand for private jets has plummeted due to the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.Yet the decision to purchase the two new Challenger 650s could stoke criticism as governors general, prime ministers and cabinet ministers have been routinely accused in the past of using the small private jets as personal flying taxis.The Department of National Defence announced the deal with Bombardier on Saturday, saying the new planes along with a supply of spare parts and initial training for military personnel will be delivered this summer."We are really pleased to be able to announce that we're going to purchase two new Challenger 650s from Bombardier," said the Defence Department's deputy minister, Jody Thomas."It was an excellent confluence of timing. We needed the planes with the regulatory changes."Due to more congested airspace and the incorporation of newer digital technology such as GPS in air-traffic control, countries around the world are phasing in new standards requiring modern navigation systems on all aircraft.While two Challengers purchased by the federal government in the early 2000s have relatively modern systems, the two Challengers purchased in the 1980s don't meet the new standards.Ottawa bought itself some time when it inked an agreement in December that lets the two older jets continue to fly in the U.S., but other countries are starting to bring in the same standards. Canada will implement the standards between 2021 and 2023.Thomas defended the decision to purchase the planes from Bombardier without a competition. The new planes are similar to the military's existing Challengers, she said, which will allow them to be seamlessly integrated into the Royal Canadian Air Force."It made sense to buy Canadian capability when there is an innate Canadian capability," she said. "And these planes actually will fit into the fleet very easily. The same technicians. The pilots will be able to fly both types of planes."Thomas denied the purchase amounted to a handout to Bombardier as it faces massive layoffs. Rather, she said the government saw an opportunity as the two planes were "on the line" and ready to be snapped up.While online searches suggest the going rate for a Challenger 650 is around $40 million, Thomas said the full $105-million contract includes spare parts and training."We are not overpaying," she said. "It is more than just the purchase of the plane. ... And so it's too easy to just Google a number. This is the in-totality price."The Challengers, which can carry nine passengers, have long been attached to controversy, with opposition parties of all stripes painting any use of the jets as inappropriate and wasteful.Stephen Harper’s Conservative government, which was accused of excessive use of the Challengers, made a point of retiring two of the aircraft in 2014 as a cost-cutting measure. The Tories said at the time that the move would save $1.5 million per year.Previous governments have said the aircraft are needed because the prime minister and governor general are not allowed, for security reasons, to use commercial aircraft. Defence officials note the Challengers are also used by the military to transport senior officers and troops in some circumstances, as well as for medical evacuations.The aircraft have also been used to carry supplies and personal protective equipment around the country during the COVID-19 crisis, Thomas said. They also ferried military personnel to Europe after a helicopter crashed off the coast of Greece in April."The Air Force uses these planes every day on behalf of the Canadian Armed Forces," she said. "Taking members of the Royal Canadian Navy after the Cyclone crash, that's not political. That's work. And these are the right planes to do that kind of work."This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 6, 2020.Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press

The fatal shooting of an Indigenous woman by an Edmundson police officer is raising questions about whether officers should be the ones performing wellness checks.Chantel Moore, a 26-year-old woman from Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation in British Columbia, was shot dead by the officer who came to her home to conduct a wellness check Thursday.The Edmundston Police Force said the officer shot Moore to "defend himself" because she allegedly had a knife and was making threats. An independent police watchdog is investigating the shooting and the police's assertions. Christian Leuprecht, a professor at the Royal Military College and the School of Policy Studies at Queen's University, said this is highlighting the impact of defunding social services that could have taken the place of the officer."The police are doing things that aren't really policing functions, but there's no one else to do them," he said. "They have to backstop where ever social services end."There is no standardized definition or wellness check process across the country, he said. Wellness check calls can sometimes be related to concerns about a person's mental health — those have been steadily increasing in New Brunswick — but not all are related to mental health.The exact nature of Moore's wellness call is not clear. Family told CBC News a former boyfriend who lives in Toronto had asked police to check on her because she was being harassed. Insp. Steve Robinson with the Edmundston police said Moore had received "strange" messages on Facebook.Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller said when he first heard about Moore's death, he thought it was "some kind of a morbid joke.""I don't understand how someone dies during a wellness check," he said.General processMultiple New Brunswick police agencies and the Atlantic Police Academy, which Leuprecht said trains most New Brunswick municipal forces, all declined to say what general guidelines they give officers when sending them on a wellness check. Leuprecht said some wellness checks are mandated by the courts or an agency, and sometimes family and friends call the police to check up on people if they can't do it themselves."Those are two obvious ones," he said. "I don't know under what other sort of circumstances you might trigger a wellness check, but basically either it's mandated that somebody has to be checked on ... or that someone expresses a concern about someone else."He said generally if someone calls to ask for a wellness check, that's "triaged" by the dispatchers based on the call's credibility.Leuprecht said in a place like Toronto, there are more specialized officers within the force that could be sent depending on the nature of the concern, but in Edmundston most of the officers would be generalists.Policing and raceMatthew Green, NDP MP for Hamilton Centre, has been speaking out against police-performed wellness checks. Green said a wellness checks could play out differently when it involves people of colour, who are more likely to have negative interactions with police."There is certainly race as an issue in policing, but broader I think it's a conversation around public health and how we adequately support public health outcomes in our communities," he said.Black and Indigenous people are overwhelmingly over-represented in fatal encounters with police, according to CBC News analysis that looked at deadly force used between 2000 and 2017.He said it's not clear exactly when a wellness check happens, they "take place in different ways in different communities," but he said the greater question is whether police should be doing them."We know that we have wholly inadequate funding around mental health and addiction services, social services," he said. "And we know that there have been a significant increase in the funding of police budgets that have resulted really in police being the catch-all for the social challenges of our community."He said police are "both ill equipped and ill prepared" to deal with de-escalation and mental health and addictions and supports that are needed when a wellness check is requested.CBC has permission from Chantel Moore's family to use the photos included in this story.

A buoy from Cape Breton has quite a tale to tell. The Canadian Coast Guard buoy — a navigational aid for mariners — went missing off Scaterie Island, near Louisbourg, N.S., in January 2018.This past March, more than two years later, it washed up on the shores of Cat Island in the Bahamas. Dave Hebert, a research scientist with the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans, said the buoy likely had a transatlantic voyage, and then some.Hebert said he thinks the buoy's adventure began with a fairly quick trip to Europe, courtesy of the Gulf Stream, a powerful ocean current just off the coast of Nova Scotia."Because the Gulf Stream is quite fast, it would take probably 40 days to get from here to the south of England," said Hebert."Then the currents are really slow. That's where it takes like a year to go from England to the Canary Islands, and then almost another year to go from the Canary Islands over to the Bahamas."That's where Al Otis spotted it. He and some friends made the discovery while exploring a secluded beach on Cat Island in March.In an email to CBC, Otis said he was able to get a photo of the buoy about a month later. He said he spent a couple of days searching the internet for any mention of a JJ3 buoy, and eventually found a reference to the Canadian Coast Guard. Otis said he sent a report and a photo of the buoy to the Coast Guard. He got a response.A Coast Guard official told Otis the JJ3 buoy is known as the Bar Reef light and bell buoy, and is only the second Canadian Coast Guard buoy known to have arrived in the Bahamas.In the past, buoys from this region have washed ashore in the Azores and Bermuda. One surfaced in Ireland after it broke off its mooring near Arichat.Will stay in BahamasIt appears JJ3 is destined for a sunny retirement in the Caribbean.Hebert said it's not practical to retrieve them unless the buoys carry important scientific instruments.Otis said many places along the beach in the Bahamas have old fishing buoys as decorations and he'd like to put JJ3 to good use. But he said it may be too costly to move it."I figured that the bell buoy would be the ultimate lawn ornament with the added benefit of a big old bell to ring when the mood struck," said Otis. MORE TOP STORIES

Ontario is extending its emergency orders for another 10 days, the same day the province reported an additional 455 cases, 68 of which were the result of a reporting delay. The province's emergency orders had been set to expire June 9 but Ontario announced Saturday that they are being extended until June 19.Those orders include banning people from dining in bars and restaurants, and gathering in groups larger than five.They also include the closure of child-care centres, though Premier Doug Ford has said that a phased reopening plan for them will be announced early next week.Extending the emergency orders also means the continued closure of bars and restaurants except for takeout and delivery, libraries except for curbside pickup or delivery, and theatres.Ontarians looking to use playgrounds, or beat the heat at public pools and splash pads are also out of luck as a result of the extended orders. "Extending these emergency orders will give employers of frontline care providers the necessary flexibility to respond to COVID-19 and protect vulnerable people and the public as the province gradually and safely reopens," the Ontario government said in a release issued Saturday morning. Additionally, the province says it is extending the suspension of limitation periods and time periods for legal proceedings until Sept. 11, ensuring people "will not experience legal consequences" if the original time requirements of their case are not met while this order is in effect.This news comes after Ontario's state of emergency, which permits the government to issue emergency orders like these, was extended earlier this week to June 30. Ontario's cumulative cases surpass 30,000Meanwhile, the province reported 387 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, as well as 68 others that were impacted by a reporting delay. According to new data released by Ontario's Ministry of Health, the lag in reporting was the result of a "laboratory-to-public health reporting delay."That delay stemmed from a "breakdown in communication" between an assessment centre and a hospital lab where a number of positive tests were not communicated to the public health units, Public Health Ontario told CBC Toronto in an email. When combined, those 455 newly reported cases represent a 1.5 per cent increase in total cases, a spike when compared to increases in new cases seen earlier this week, which hovered around 1.2 per cent.The province's cumulative number of cases now sits at 30,202. Some 23,947 of those cases are considered resolved.A total of 2,407 COVID-19-related deaths have been reported by the province, an increase of 35 deaths from the previous report. The province warns that the numbers may be subject to a reporting delay. Data compiled by CBC News directly from regional public health units, however, reports 2,466 deaths, an increase of 32 deaths since yesterday. Ontario's network of about 20 labs processed some 23,105 tests on Friday, the most on any single day since the outbreak began in late January and the first time that figure has surpassed 23,000. Ontario has now broken its record number of tests processed for the third straight day, though the province's partnership of about 20 public, commercial and hospital labs have capacity to handle up to 25,000 samples per day.Watch l Ontario struggles to keep COVID-19 under control:The province's official COVID-19 death toll grew by 35 and now sits at 2,407. A CBC News count based on data compiled directly from regional public health units puts the real toll at at least 2,434 as of Saturday at 12:30 p.m. Just over 64 per cent of COVID-19-linked deaths were residents in long-term care homes, a drop of 15 per cent from the province's previous update.The province has tracked outbreaks in 311 long-term care facilities, while 88 remain ongoing, a drop in 78 homes since yesterday. Public Health Ontario said the significant drop stemmed from the the fact that many long-term care outbreaks that were classified as "open" also included an "declared over" date, which signals that the outbreak is over. That error has since been rectified, Public Health Ontario said in an email. The number of patients in Ontario hospitals with confirmed cases of COVID-19 dropped by 76, down to 673. Those being treated in intensive care units fell by one, to 117, while patients requiring a ventilator increased by three, to 97. Despite steady new case numbers, Ford says he will reveal details next week on Ontario's second phase of loosening pandemic restrictions. Although Stage 2 won't begin immediately after details are revealed, Ford says the province will give notices to businesses that will be given the green light to reopen. "We encourage businesses to begin preparing to reopen, so when the time comes, they will be able to protect employees, consumers and the general public," Ford said in the statement Saturday. Thousands of people, meanwhile, are taking to the streets of downtown Toronto on Saturday in two separate protests against anti-black racism.The first protest began at Nathan Philips Square, while a second sprang up later at Trinity Bellwoods Park. You can read more about that here.The demonstrations are part of a number of rallies happening across the country, in the United States and other parts of the world following high-profile incidents like the death of George Floyd.2nd migrant worker dies in WindsorThe Windsor region is reporting the death of a second migrant worker from COVID-19.Windsor Regional Hospital says a 24-year-old man was first admitted to a different hospital on Monday, and died at their facility on Friday.The hospital says they have contacted the man's family in Mexico.A news release also says that local hospitals and health organizations will jointly conduct a "mass swabbing" for COVID-19 of 8,000 migrant workers in Windsor-Essex starting on Tuesday.Another temporary foreign worker in the Windsor area who came to Canada in February and tested positive for the virus on May 21 died last weekend.Approximately 20,000 migrant workers come to Ontario each year to work on farms and in greenhouses — many of them from Mexico, Guatemala and the Caribbean — and this year have been required to self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival.Outbreaks that have affected dozens of migrant workers have been reported in Chatham-Kent, Windsor-Essex, Niagara Region and Elgin County.

At first, watching the George Floyd protests unfold brought on a dull, numbing sensation, says Daniel Butterfield. After, there was only enough room for a familiar kind of anger."It's a lot of recurring feelings that kind of happen every time we see this kind of injustice," Butterfield said. Protests that began last week have grown in size and intensity, spilling over borders and reaching Prince Edward Island, over police brutality and the murder of Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody.Thousands more in Canada have also taken to the streets to protest racism around the world and to demand answers in the death of 29-year-old Toronto resident Regis Korchinski-Paquet.The uncertainty, violence and unrest have many non-black Canadians wondering what it means to be an ally to black people, Indigenous people and people of colour (BIPOC). 'Going out of your way to correct things'"I see an ally as someone who is actively doing things to support communities who are being underrepresented and mistreated," Butterfield said."It's really easy to morally align yourself with what is ... just ... and say you're an ally but until you're going out of your way to correct things, you're not necessarily a true ally."Butterfield, a Charlottetown performer who goes by the stage name Vince the Messenger, was born in Toronto, but moved with his family to the Island when he was three.Even as P.E.I.'s population has changed in recent years, Butterfield said growing up black in a predominately white community was challenging at times.> I heard racial slurs before I knew what they meant – directed toward me. — Daniel Butterfield"The type of racism that I mostly experience in Charlottetown would be like micro-aggressions or discriminatory things. People assuming certain things about you based on your skin colour, based on the way you talk, the way you look," he said."I heard racial slurs before I knew what they meant – directed toward me," he said, "Like the N-word." While Butterfield said his experience with racism on P.E.I. has improved, "better isn't enough."'It's about the little things'"It's about culture change, it's about changing people's attitude, it's about those subtle jokes that people tell, it's about appropriating cultural aspects," said Sobia Ali-Faifal, co-founder and Pakistani member of Black, Indigenous, People of Colour United for Strength, Home and Relationships or BIPOC USHR.The group works to provide support and advocacy for people who identify within the Island's BIPOC community."It's about the little things that happen almost on a daily basis and challenging those things that lead to a cultural change," she said.While joining protests is an important part of being an ally, for these gestures to be meaningful, non-black allies need to make sure the events and protests they attend in solidarity are organized and led by black members of the community, Ali-Faifal said.But protests, she said, are only one component of allyship.> We can't be everywhere convincing people that we deserve equality. — Daniel Butterfield"It's about two things," she said. "One: to amplify black voices, not speaking for black people, not speaking over black people but using whatever privilege we have as non-black people to amplify those voices and what they're saying."The other component is really to challenge anti-blackness, wherever we see it."Challenging anti-blackness and racism as a whole, both agree, is part and parcel of being an ally every day."We can't be everywhere convincing people that we deserve equality," Butterfield said."We can't be at the dinner table where your racist parents are telling you that black people aren't equal. We're not invited to those dinner parties, so you need to be there in our place, evening the playing field."But Ali-Faifal cautions that doesn't mean speaking for members of the BIPOC community or speaking over them.Ali-Faifal said most often, being an ally to BIPOC communities demands three qualities: openness, humility and a willingness to endure discomfort.Discomfort in allyship"Everyone makes mistakes in the process of allyship," she said. "It's hard to be called out on that and if we respond with defensiveness then that ends our allyship … willing to learn from that discomfort, that is probably one of the most important things because it is not easy."> You can have white privilege but have plenty of other disadvantages in your life. — Daniel ButterfieldDiscomfort, Butterfield said, needs to happen for there to be any type of growth."When people do feel discomfort they will feel more of an emotional connection to do the right thing, they'll understand why people are protesting, why people are upset, if they can feel discomfort themselves to a certain degree."Creating 'brave spaces'Being an ally can also mean standing up in moments of inconvenience, said Omeasoo Wāhpāsiw, an assistant professor of Indigenous history at UPEI and a Cree member of BIPOC USHR."I still find it's very easy for people to just walk on by when they think an issue doesn't pertain to them directly," she said.For Wāhpāsiw, being an ally has meant creating "brave learning spaces" in her classrooms, which has meant encouraging students to welcome discomfort in learning about people, places and history that challenge their belief systems. Navigating the world in white skin affords privilege and the advantage of not having to worry about the same things as those in BIPOC communities, Butterfield said.> I'm seeing a lot of learning happening right now. — Sobia Ali-Faifal, BIPOC USHR"You can have white privilege but have plenty of other disadvantages in your life. You can be below the poverty line, you can have a disability, you could be a member of another marginalized group while still having white privilege," he said."All that means is that you don't have to worry about your skin colour affecting you negatively throughout your life."Being a good ally, he said, means educating yourself on the kinds of privilege you hold and how you can use it to empower marginalized communities.Ali-Faifal suggests the workbook, Me and White Supremacy as a helpful tool for white people and those seeking to grasp their complicity in racism and how they can challenge white supremacy.She also suggests connecting with local Black Lives Matter groups or non-profit organizations such as BIPOC USHR and P.E.I.'s Black Cultural Society to strengthen allyship and create a greater sense of community."There's a lot of people with a lot of really good intentions. There's a lot of people who are amplifying voices and challenging anti-blackness, there's a lot of people who want to but don't know how to," she said."I'm seeing a lot of learning happening right now." More from CBC P.E.I.

Lesley Shannon of Vancouver was devastated when New Brunswick rejected her request last month to enter the province to attend her mother's burial. "I'm mystified, heartbroken and angry," said Shannon on Wednesday. "They're basically saying my mother's life has no value." Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island and the three territories have temporarily barred Canadian visitors from entering their borders unless they meet specific criteria, such as travelling for medical treatment. The provinces and territories say the extreme measures are necessary to protect their residents from the spread of the novel coronavirus that causes the COVID-19 illness. But the border bans have fuelled criticism from civil rights advocates who argue barring fellow Canadians is unconstitutional. The travel restrictions have also angered Canadians denied entry for travel they believe is crucial. "I'm not trying to go to my aunt's or cousin's funeral. This is my mother, my last living parent," said Shannon, who grew up in Rothesay, N.B.Protecting health of its citizensOn Thursday, shortly after CBC News asked for comment on Shannon's case, the New Brunswick government announced it will reopen its borders starting June 19 to Canadian travellers with immediate family or property in New Brunswick. It also plans to grant entry to people attending a close family member's funeral or burial.The province's Campbellton region, however, remains off limits.Shannon was happy to hear the news, but is unsure at this point if she'll get permission to enter the province in time for her mother's burial. She would first have to self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival, as required by the province, and the cemetery holding her mother's body told her the burial must happen soon."I'm just hoping that [permission comes] fast enough for me."New Brunswick told CBC News that restricting out-of-province visitors has served as a key way to protect the health of its citizens."It's necessary because of the threat posed by travel: all but a handful of New Brunswick's [COVID-19] cases are travel cases," said Shawn Berry, spokesperson for the Department of Public Safety, in an email.Legal challengesKim Taylor of Halifax was so upset over being denied entry in early May to attend her mother's funeral in Newfoundland and Labrador she launched a lawsuit against the province."I certainly feel like the government has let me and my family down," she said.> It's not right. No province in Canada can shut its borders to Canadian citizens. \- John Drover, lawyerShortly after speaking publicly about her case, Taylor got permission to enter the province —11 days after initially being rejected. But the court challenge is still going ahead — on principle."It's not right. No province in Canada can shut its borders to Canadian citizens," alleged Taylor's lawyer, John Drover. Violates charter, CCLA saysThe Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) has joined the lawsuit and has sent letters to each of the provinces and territories banning Canadian visitors, outlining its concerns. The CCLA argues provinces and territories barring Canadians violates the country's Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which states that every Canadian has the right to live and work in any province. The CCLA said if a province or territory limits those rights, its reasons must be justified. "So far, what we've seen from these governments hasn't convinced us that there is good evidence that these limits are reasonable," said Cara Zwibel, director of CCLA's fundamental freedoms program."The existence of a virus in and of itself is not enough of a reason."Newfoundland and Labrador also faces a proposed class-action lawsuit launched this month, representing Canadians denied entry who own property in the province."The issue that our clients take is that this [restriction] is explicitly on geographic grounds and that seems to be contrary to the Charter of Rights," said Geoff Budden, a lawyer with the suit, which has not yet been certified.The Newfoundland and Labrador government told CBC News it's reviewing the lawsuits. They have both been filed in the province's Supreme Court.On Wednesday, Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Dwight Ball defended the province's travel restrictions, arguing they remain necessary to avoid spreading the virus."This is put in place to protect Newfoundlanders and Labradorians; it's not about shutting people out," he said. WATCH | Inside the fight against COVID-19:What about a 14-day isolation?The rest of Canada's provinces have each advised against non-essential travel for now but are still allowing Canadian visitors to enter their province. Nova Scotia and Manitoba, however, require that visitors self-isolate for 14 days. CCLA's Zwibel said that rule may be a less restrictive way for a province to protect its residents during the pandemic. "The Charter of Rights does require that if governments do place limits on rights, they do so in a way that impairs them as little as possible," she said. Back in Vancouver, a frustrated Shannon points out that New Brunswick is already allowing temporary foreign workers into the province — as long as they self-isolate for 14 days. However, her invitation is still pending."It's very upsetting to think I'm less welcome in New Brunswick than somebody who was not even born in Canada," she said.

The body found in Schwatka Lake on Friday afternoon is that of 28-year-old Ayla Sanders from Whitehorse, says the Yukon Coroner's Service.Sanders was reported missing on April 17, and was last seen in the downtown area."Since then an extensive search had been conducted with the hopes of finding her in good health," the coroner's service said Saturday in a news release.On Friday, RCMP said in another release that at 2 p.m. PT that day they had responded to a report of a dead person floating in the lake, south of Whitehorse. Police added that "criminality is not believed to be a factor."Sanders' family have been notified and a postmortem examination to determine the cause of her death will be held in Abbotsford, B.C., according to Saturday's release.The coroner's service says that their investigation with the Whitehorse RCMP is ongoing."We extend appreciation to all who took part in the search for Ayla and offer our sincere condolences to her family and friends at this difficult time."

Scott Nichols, a balloon artist, was riding home on his scooter from the protests engulfing Minneapolis last weekend when he was struck by a rubber bullet fired from a cluster of police officers in riot gear. Nichols, who before the coronavirus pandemic made his living performing at children’s birthday parties under the stage name “Amazing Scott,” spent two days in jail before being released on criminal charges of riot and curfew violation. President Donald Trump has characterized those clashing with law enforcement after George Floyd’s death as organized, radical-left thugs engaging in domestic terrorism, an assertion repeated by Attorney General William Barr.

TORONTO — Ontario reported a spike in new COVID-19 cases Saturday, though dozens were attributed to a reporting delay, as the province extended its emergency orders for another 10 days.There were 455 new COVID-19 cases added to the provincial total, including 68 that were part of a reporting delay between a laboratory and public health.There were 23,105 tests completed over the past day — the third day in a row Ontario surpassed its goal of doing 20,000 tests a day.Ontario's new testing strategy includes targeting specific workers and sometimes bringing mobile testing units to them.In Windsor, meanwhile, local hospitals and health organizations will jointly conduct a "mass swabbing" for COVID-19 of 8,000 migrant workers in the area starting on Tuesday.It comes after the Windsor region on Saturday reported the death of a second migrant worker from COVID-19. Windsor Regional Hospital said a 24-year-old man was first admitted to a different hospital on Monday, and died at their facility on Friday. The hospital said they have contacted the man's family in Mexico.Another temporary foreign worker in the Windsor area who came to Canada in February and tested positive for the virus on May 21 died last weekend.Approximately 20,000 migrant workers come to Ontario each year to work on farms and in greenhouses — many of them from Mexico, Guatemala and the Caribbean — and this year have been required to self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival.Outbreaks that have affected dozens of migrant workers have been reported in Chatham-Kent, Windsor-Essex, Niagara Region and Elgin County.Ontario extended its emergency orders Saturday until June 19, including banning people from dining in bars and restaurants, and gathering in groups larger than five.The orders that had been set to expire June 9 include the closure of child care centres, though Premier Doug Ford has said that a phased reopening plan for them will be announced early next week.Extending the emergency orders also means the continued closure of bars and restaurants except for take-out and delivery, libraries except for curbside pick-up or delivery, and theatres, and that Ontarians looking to use playgrounds, or beat the heat at public pools and splash pads, are out of luck for now.The province recently extended its state of emergency until June 30.The new cases reported Saturday push Ontario's total number of cases to 30,202, which is a 1.5 per cent increase over the previous day's total. It includes 2,407 deaths and 23,947 cases that have been resolved.The number of people in hospital with COVID-19 dropped sharply, from 749 to 673 and the number of people in intensive care went down slightly, while the number of people on ventilators rose slightly.Active outbreaks in long-term care homes decreased from 85 to 83, while the number of resident deaths increased by 25 to a total of 1,717. Those figures from the Ministry of Long-Term Care are from a separate database than the provincial totals.Ontario called in the Canadian Armed Forces in April to help five hard-hit long-term care homes. Members said in a report that they observed cockroach infestations, aggressive feeding that caused choking, bleeding infections, and residents crying for help for hours.One of the homes, Orchard Villa, told families in an email late Friday that the military formally withdrew from its facility that day.This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 6, 2020.Allison Jones, The Canadian Press